Government Shutdown Is Defining Moment for Boehner

Caught Between Democrats and His Party's Right Flank, House Speaker Sides With Conservatives

By

Patrick O'Connor

Updated Oct. 1, 2013 12:57 a.m. ET

WASHINGTON—House Speaker John Boehner opened a meeting of his fellow Republicans Monday by telling them: "If you really want to fight, you've got to put everything on the table."

That included shutting down the government.

Mr. Boehner, of Ohio, didn't pick the battle to strip funding from the new health overhaul, but the standoff will stand as a defining moment in his roller-coaster tenure as speaker. Mr. Boehner has survived a series of deadline-induced crises since 2011 but now finds himself helping to usher in the first government shutdown in nearly two decades.

Torn between a conservative wing adamant about dismantling the new law and Democrats unwilling to revisit a law that they already have passed, Mr. Boehner sided with his conservative rank-and-file. Repeatedly Monday night, he rejected spending bills approved by the Senate because they excluded Republican demands to eliminate or delay parts of the health law.

President Barack Obama has long said he wouldn't accept changes to his signature domestic legislative achievement. Mr. Boehner, speaking on the House floor after a phone call with the president, bridled at Mr. Obama's insistence. "I would say to the president, this is not about me," Mr. Boehner said. "It's not about Republicans. It's about fairness to the American people."

The fight now heads into an uncertain phase in which both parties will blame the other for furloughing hundreds of thousands of federal employees and shuttering nonessential government services.

The next few days could determine not only how long the government stays shut, but the reputations of the nation's leaders—and especially Mr. Boehner. The reaction of financial markets, which will see in this impasse a harbinger of what might happen in mid-October if the U.S. reaches a deadline to raise the federal borrowing limit, could play a role.

Since January, Mr. Boehner has strained to steer clear of either a shutdown or a debt-ceiling crisis for which his party might be blamed, from reshuffling the legislative calendar to scheduling more than 40 votes to repeal or rework the health law, a move designed to give his members ample opportunity to voice their displeasure with the law.

In the end, the impasse resulted as much from the internal dynamics of Mr. Boehner's GOP caucus as it did from the partisan divisions in the country as a whole and the chasm between Democrats and Republicans about basic tax-and-spending policies. After months of jockeying, Mr. Boehner heeded the calls from his most conservative colleagues by refusing to give in on requesting health-law changes.

At a closed-door meeting in the Capitol basement Monday, New York Rep. Peter King railed against his GOP colleagues for favoring a strategy that would result in a shutdown. "We have too many people who follow Ted Cruz," Mr. King said he told his caucus, referring to the Texas Republican senator who has emerged as the face of the push to defund the health law.

In the same session, other Republicans pleaded with colleagues not to advance legislation that would end federal subsidies to help members of Congress and their staffs buy health insurance, lawmakers in attendance said afterward. That was another favored option among some in the party, on the grounds that Congress should interact with the law much like regular Americans.

"What we're doing here is shooting ourselves in the head," California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher said, according to lawmakers in the meeting.

Even outside conservative groups who had been prodding Mr. Boehner for months to take a hard line against the new law started to splinter as the midnight deadline approached.

Mr. Cruz and the Club for Growth endorsed the House Republicans' final volley, a measure delaying a requirement that all individuals buy insurance and an end to federal health-insurance subsidies for lawmakers, their staff and senior administration officials.

Meanwhile, Heritage Action, the campaign arm of the Heritage Foundation think tank, which spent the summer building support for an effort to defund the law, opposed the last House offer. Conservative pundit Erick Erickson posted a message on Twitter encouraging Republicans to pass a government-funding bill without conditions, saying, "They've already embarrassed themselves."

Democrats, blaming Republicans for shutting down the government, chided Mr. Boehner. "Why don't you just quicken it up and pass Sen. Cruz the gavel?" Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D., Md.) said on the House floor.

Boehner allies said the speaker's shift was less about conservative pressure than it was about constituents pressing members of Congress about their concerns over the health law, which became a reality for many Americans Tuesday with the launch of health-care exchanges for buying insurance.

"There has been a change in the dynamics of what he's hearing, not just from Ted Cruz," said Ohio Rep. Pat Tiberi, a close Boehner ally. "It has ballooned way above that."

Negotiations between the House and Senate effectively concluded when House Republicans decided late Monday night to name a committee of lawmakers to negotiate a final spending resolution, a move Democrats had been requesting for months but one that came too late to hammer out a meaningful deal.

Earlier in September, conservatives forced Mr. Boehner and his leadership team to scuttle an initial attempt to pass legislation funding the government. But in the weeks following, the speaker made concessions to his conservative wing by reinserting changes to the law after Senate Democrats stripped them out.

Mr. Boehner also won a big concession over the weekend when conservatives agreed to support legislation that delayed the health law for a year, a step down from demanding a spending bill defund the law entirely. In the process, Mr. Boehner earned praise from a quarter of his caucus more inclined to criticize him.

"I do not think the speaker is making up his comments," said Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R., Kan.), one of the conservatives Mr. Boehner removed from his committee slot late last year. "He really believes, as I do, as the polls do, that the people don't want the government shut down and they don't want Obamacare."

Well Dave, perhaps lots of Democratic voters looking for another transfer of wealth from the hard working and successful to those that "deserve" to use the government to take their neighbor's property?

At a closed-door meeting in the Capitol basement Monday, New York Rep. Peter King railed against his GOP colleagues for favoring a strategy that would result in a shutdown. "We have too many people who follow Ted Cruz....Rep.King envy is the worst of the deadly sins.

To expect congress and the president to follow the same rule of law as the people should not be so difficult to understand unless humility is not part of your make up.

Republicans should quit worrying about being blamed for the shutdown because the MSM is going to blame them regardless of what they do. Most people understand that to refuse to discuss and consider alternatives is DICTATORIAL, not representative.

The government shutdown is a defining moment for the citizens of the USA. We are coming face to face with the fact that we wanted to elect leaders.........and instead....we have elected idiots...of both parties. This is unfair to real idiots....who would function at a higher level than either Congress or the Administration.

Note to elected officials: We want budgets....we want responsible people in govt. We want term limits...limited govt...less intrusion....honesty in politicians (ok...we can't wait for helt to freeze over) and we don't want elected officials and public sector employees giving themselves exemptions from Obamacare and Social Security. If it is good enough for us....it is good enough for you.

There are criminals in federal prisons who went to work today and got paid. Clearly Congress thinks federal employees are less essential than federal prisoners. Come to think of it, there are criminals in Congress who went to work today and got paid.

For some inexplicable reason there are those who automatically point an accusatory finger solely at the Republicans for unilaterally "shutting down the government". If I understand the situation clearly, the House has voted to fund the government and to keep things running as usual with the only caveat being a DELAY in the implementation of the "Individual Mandate" of Obamacare.

As it has already been exhaustively pointed out, a multitude of "exemptions" and "extensions" to the implementation of "Obamacare" have already been granted to various special interest groups & organizations. Technically (i.e., legally) the law does NOT provide for such special "exemptions" or "extensions" for these groups, but they were nonetheless granted by Mr. Obama.

Finally, it is common knowledge that there are a PLETHORA of problems and other "glitches" in the implementation of the Individual Mandate that, at the very least, need to be fully addressed and ironed-out before it is ready for PRIME TIME. Mr. Obama and the Democrats in the Senate have blatantly refused to even negotiate with the House on these very real and pressing problems regarding Obamacare.

<< At a closed-door meeting [... New York Rep. Peter King [...] and California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher [...] >>

This article writes of the "conservatives" as though they were the outliers, but Republicans from New York and California are written up as if they were the backbone of the GOP.

What was the last time either New York or California voted GOP in the presidential race? When did they last send a Republican Senator to Congress? Peter King and Dana Rohrbacher are irrelevant and they ought to keep quiet.

<< Torn between a conservative wing adamant about dismantling the new law and Democrats unwilling to revisit a law that they already have passed [...] >>

"... that they have already passed ..." grossly overstates their position.

Should read --> ... that they deviously wiggled into law, without due legislative process, without a single Republican vote, and supported by the most tenuous of Supreme Court opinions. Democrat intransigence is rooted in their fears that if so much as one stone is removed from the new healthcare edifice, the whole monstrosity will come a-tumblin' down.

An effective CEO will tell you if an employee leaves your employment, don't re-hire a replacement for 90 days allowing you ample time to see if you can operate without filling the position. Seems to me this may be an excellent time for the government to determine which positions are really needed. Great opportunity to analyze and eliminate unnecessary spending.

None of us should be too surprised about a 'shutdown'. In the scheme of things, this too will pass and perhaps this is best for the country in the long run. Both sides need to step up and effectively negotiate. What we need now is leadership that can bring both sides together to find common ground and a compromise.

The partisan divide shutting down non-essential government in WDC was first evident on Christmas eve 2009 when ObamaCare was enacted on a partisan vote. Peculiar how the media still wants to blame Republicans or Democrats when the true dividing issue is ObamaCare.

Stop calling it a government shut-down. The majority of our government is still operating. It's inflammatory. They passed a bill they didn't read, they have already made exceptions to it by extending it for corporations, they exempted themselves from it, they lied when they said you could keep your insurance if you liked it etc....Shut down the government maybe the best solution of all!

"Boehner allies said the speaker's shift was less about conservative pressure than it was about constituents pressing members of Congress about their concerns over the health law, which became a reality for many Americans Tuesday with the launch of health-care exchanges for buying insurance."

What I want to know is, are those constituents primarily corporations and special interest groups, or individuals?

The Republicans claim to live by the Constitution but nowhere in the Constitution is there envisaged that one House of Congress should shut down the government. These Tea Partyiers should all be hoisted by their own petards and impeached and imprisioned, or even better, imprisioned and then impeached. Bring back the country, throw out the Republicans and Long Live Government of the people, by the people and for the people. this is pretty elementary, people. Get rid of these anarchist radicals and God Bless the US.

Once again, Big Healthcare has successfully influenced Republicans to run a spectacularly successful fear campaign. When the ACA is rolled out and the American people see that this type of plan actually works (like it does in countries around the world) MAYBE voters will realize that the crooks in Congress and the lobbyists who pay them off have to be shown the door.

I don't understand why this is being labelled " Boehner's defining moment".

Rather, why is it not " Obama's defining ( and continuing) moment"?

For 4 3/4 years the President has shown no willingness to discuss, negotiate, or even speak with people of differing views. John Boehner may be controversial, but he's not dangerous. I fear the same cannot be said of the President.

The shutdown is a farce! I got a paycheck today; they still took out taxes. Where is the money going or is that shut down too? You know the answer; Mr. Obama is planning to give it all away still! God save us.

It's more than just fears! It's a reality. They are adament about steamrolling ahead with the individual mandate because it will addict millions to the narcotic of insurance subsidies, further cementing Obamacare into the American fabric. Further, delaying the employer mandate gives businesses more time to kick members off their plans and driving them to the exchanges. This is so critical they were willing to risk national outrage over the special carve out for their staffers. A very well thought out scheme that will be propped up at any cost and unfortunately not come a-tumblin' down anytime soon..

The shutdown, although I disagree with it in principal also does a brilliant job of focusing on Obamacare right at the moment everyone is going to find out what's in it, starting today, that is if you can even log onto your states website. Yes, there will be a landslide of people loosing their health insurance, now that you can sign up, your employer will dump you. And did you notice that there is limited access to health insurance companies in your state? Maybe you have only one choice, maybe three.....and most do not offer the best plan available, so now we have to pay more for our insurance and get much less coverage than we did before which leaves millions of families vulnerable to catastrophic medical bills. Yes, Obama you have transformed America!

Mr. Greco, one house of congress did not shut down the government. It took two, plus intransigence from the White House.

The transformative thing that is happening with regard to the Tea Party's effect on government (which I fully support because of its fiscal restraint) is that its ideology is simply more compelling than what it is battling--historic, crippling progressivism.

Like all individuals who choose to see the world through biased, tinted lenses, you've automatically pointed an accusatory finger solely at the Republicans for unilaterally "shutting down the government". If I understand the situation clearly, the House has voted to fund the government and to keep things running as usual with the ONLY caveat being a delay in the Individual Mandate of "Obamacare".

As it has already been pointed out quite exhaustively, a multitude of "exemptions" and "extensions" to the implementation of "Obamacare" have already been granted to various special interest groups & organizations. Technically (i.e., legally) the law does NOT provide for such special "exemptions" or "extensions" for these groups, but they were nonetheless granted by Mr. Obama.

Finally, it is common knowledge that there are a PLETHORA of problems and other "glitches" in the implementation of the Individual Mandate that, at the very least, need to be fully addressed and ironed-out before it is ready for PRIME TIME. Mr. Obama and the Democrats in the Senate have blatantly refused to even negotiate with the House on these very real and pressing problems regarding Obamacare.

You haven't seen nothin' yet! Obama is handing this over to the private insurance companies, they are just happy about it. Why not show how you really care about your country and go research the program before you criticize it? Actually knowing what you are talking about makes a huge difference!

You make some interesting points James but Obama has spent less than any President since Eisenhower? WIth the debt at $17 T, where are you getting that information? He had trillion dollar deficits for years and only recently cut it down to $680B. Compared to the $170B deficit Bush had before Reid/Pelosi took over Congress.

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.